Journal Watch February 2023

COVID-19 

90% reduction in COVID-19 deaths after booster dose: Hong Kong study: A booster (third) dose of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine was associated with a 90% reduction in death in people with multiple health conditions compared to 2 doses, according to a new study from Hong Kong published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) 

 

Acute Cardiac Events Common During COVID Hospitalization:  Among adults hospitalized for COVID-19, acute cardiac events are common, particularly among those with underlying heart disease, and are associated with more severe disease outcomes, a new study suggests. "About 1 in 10 adults experienced an acute cardiac event — including heart attacks and acute heart failure — while hospitalized with COVID-19, and this included people with no preexisting heart disease. About a quarter of those with underlying heart disease had an acute cardiac event.” These patients tended to experience more severe disease outcomes relative to patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who did not experience an acute cardiac event.  published online February 6 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

 

More Data Back Guillain-Barré Risk With Janssen COVID Shot: New surveillance data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) back previous findings of increased risk for Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) after receiving the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine (Ad26.COV2.S). Over 14 months, GBS reporting rates within 21 and 42 days of administration of Janssen's replication-incompetent adenoviral vector vaccine were approximately 9 to 12 times higher than after administration of the Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) or the Moderna (mRNA-1273) mRNA COVID vaccines.  published online February 1 in JAMA Network Open.

 

Booster Doses Linked With Reduced COVID-Related Mortality in Patients With Multimorbidity: A regimen of three doses of COVID-19 vaccine, compared with two doses, is associated with a greater than 90% decrease in COVID-19-related deaths among patients with multiple chronic conditions, data suggest. The study was published January 30 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

 

Positive Test No Longer Required to Get COVID Antivirals: People no longer need a positive COVID-19 test to be prescribed the antiviral medications Paxlovid or Lagevrio.  The FDA announced the changes Wednesday in letters sent to the drugs' manufacturers, Pfizer and Merck. In the letters, the FDA said it replaced the requirement for a positive test to instead require a current diagnosis of mild to moderate COVID-19. 

 

Yes, masks reduce the risk of spreading COVID, despite a review saying they don’t: The question of whether and to what extent face masks work to prevent respiratory infections such as COVID and influenza has split the scientific community for decades. An updated Cochrane Review published last week is the latest to suggest face masks don’t work in the community. However there are problems with the review’s methodology and its underpinning assumptions about transmission. It didn’t consider how COVID spreads and how masks work. COVID, along with influenza and many other respiratory diseases, is transmitted primarily through the air.  Respirators (such as N95s) are designed and regulated to prevent airborne infections by fitting closely to the face to prevent air leakage and by filtering out 95% or more of potential infectious particles. In contrast, surgical masks are designed to prevent splatter of fluid on the face and are loose-fitting, causing unfiltered air to leak in through the gaps around the mask. The filtration of a surgical mask is not regulated.  In other words, respirators are designed for respiratory protection and cloth and surgical masks are not.  The review starts with an assumption that masks provide respiratory protection, which is flawed. An understanding of these differences should inform both studies and reviews of those studies. The Conversation 

 

Organ damage for 59% of patients with long COVID continues a year after initial symptoms: A new comprehensive study of organ impairment in long COVID patients over 12 months shows organ damage persisted in 59% of patients a year after initial symptoms, even in those not severely affected when first diagnosed with the virus. The study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, focused on patients reporting extreme breathlessness, cognitive dysfunction and poor health-related quality of life. 536 long COVID patients were included in the study. 13% were hospitalised when first diagnosed with COVID-19.  32% of people taking part in the study were healthcare workers. “Several studies confirm persistence of symptoms in individuals with long COVID up to one year. We now add that three in five people with long COVID have impairment in at least one organ, and one in four have impairment in two or more organs, in some cases without symptoms.”

 Following healthy lifestyle may reduce risk of long COVID: Women who followed most aspects of a healthy lifestyle, including healthy body weight, not smoking, regular exercise, adequate sleep, high quality diet, and moderate alcohol consumption, had about half the risk of long COVID compared with women without any healthy lifestyle factors, according to a study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. JAMA Internal Medicine 

 

How COVID-19 can impact the heart: COVID-19 infections can cause potentially life-threatening heart issues. Studies suggest that people with COVID-19 are 55% more likely to suffer a major adverse cardiovascular event, including heart attack, stroke and death, than those without COVID-19. They’re also more likely to have other heart issues, like arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) and myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle). Scientists find that COVID-19 infection can cause changes in calcium channels that can affect how the heart beats, it can also trigger inflammation and oxidative stress in the heart  67th Annual Biophysical Society Meeting 

 

COVID-19 Shot Appears to Reduce Diabetes Risk, Even After Omicron: 
The increased risk for diabetes following COVID-19 infection has persisted into the Omicron era, but vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 appears to diminish that likelihood, new data suggest. The findings, from more than 20,000 patients in the Cedars-Sinai Health System in Los Angeles, California, suggest that "continued efforts to prevent COVID-19 infection may be beneficial to patient health until we develop better understanding of the effects of potential long-term effects of COVID-19." The findings were published online February 14 in JAMA Network Open.

Knee Osteoarthritis: How New Blood Test Could Help With Diagnosis, Treatment: Researchers say a new blood test that uses biomarkers may help improve the diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis. They add that the new test could help diagnose osteoarthritis more quickly, allowing for treatments to begin earlier. Experts say it could also assist in dealing with knee osteoarthritis’ unpredictability. The study was published in the journal Science Advances.

 Migraine: how to diagnose, manage and prevent: A 2-part series published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) on diagnosing and managing the condition with both acute and preventive therapy provides guidance for clinicians

 

Chronic Pain: Why Antidepressants May Not Be Effective: Researchers say that for the most part antidepressant medications are not effective in treating chronic pain. Using these drugs to ease physical discomfort is probably ineffective, according to a studyTrusted Source published today in The BMJ. Experts say non-opioid agents can be an alternative. They add that some pain relief can be obtained through exercise, acupuncture, and physical therapy.

 

Research identifies potential predictor of knee osteoarthritis after ACL surgery: Arthritis in the knee’s patellofemoral joint (PFJ) is common following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and may be linked with altered loading, or stress, at the joint. In a study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research, young adults post‐ACLR who exhibited lower PFJ loading during hopping were more likely to have PFJ osteoarthritis at 1‐year and worsening PFJ osteoarthritis between 1‐ and 5‐years.

 

Rapid screening test predicts effectiveness of steroid injections for neck pain: Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine and several other institutions say they have developed a quick clinical test that predicts which people with neck pain are more likely to benefit from epidural steroid injections, which deliver drugs directly around the spinal nerves to stop nerve inflammation and reduce pain. The uncomfortable injections are a common treatment for neck pain, but can cost hundreds of dollars each; carry risks, and help only a minority of patients, studies show. A new variation on physical exam, as described Feb. 15 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings among 78 people with neck pain, could help guide best use of the treatment. 

 

A ‘self-managed’ virtual reality exercise session may provide short-term pain relief for women with endometriosis: A virtual reality (VR) exercise session may be as effective as telehealth appointments at providing short-term pain relief for women diagnosed with endometriosis, according to the results of a new health study. 

 

Unemployment due to brain, spine cancer linked to more pain, depression: People who are unemployed due to brain or spine cancer may experience more severe symptoms of pain, discomfort, anxiety and depression than people with these cancers who are employed, according to a study published in the February 8, 2023, online issue of Neurology®

 

Study unravels interplay between sleep, chronic pain and spinal cord stimulation: Results of the study, published in the journal Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, showed insomnia severity index improvement of 30 percent or more in 39.1 percent of the participants and an Epworth sleepiness scale of 30 percent or more in 28.1 percent of the participants. Minimally clinical important difference values of 2.4 to 2.6 correlated with improvement in disability and depression in the participants. The study revealed associations with sleep and both pain and depression, but no correlation between sleep and spinal cord stimulation success. 

 

COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Cannabis Legalization Not Linked to Increase in Substance Misuse: A new study finds legalizing recreational cannabis does not increase substance misuse of cannabis or other illicit drugs. Researchers compared the 40% of twins living in a state with recreational cannabis policies to those living in states where it is still illegal. The researchers caution that their study included only adults 24 years or older, adding that cannabis legalization may have a different impact on younger adults. Psychological Medicine,

 

Cannabis has same effect on adolescents and adults, and CBD doesn’t dampen effects: The short-term effects of vaporised cannabis do not differ between adolescents and adults, while cannabidiol (CBD) does not dampen the effects of the drug, finds a new study. For the experimental study published in Addiction, the researchers measured how regular cannabis users of different ages responded to inhaling cannabis with differing levels of CBD. The study participants included 24 adolescents (16-17 years old) and 24 adults (26-29 years old), all of whom were already regular users of cannabis (0.5 to three days per week, averaging 1.5 days of cannabis use per week).

 

'Sighing' Tops Mindfulness for Reduced Stress, Improved Mood: Cyclic sighing is more effective than mindfulness meditation for improving mood and reducing stress, new research suggests.   In a randomized controlled study, daily breathwork — especially cyclic breathing, which emphasizes shorter inhalations and prolonged exhalations — was associated with greater improvement in mood and a slower respiratory rate than mindfulness meditation. "We were pleased that just 5 minutes a day of the breathing exercises positively affected mood and resulted in slower respiratory rate, indicating reduced arousal.” The findings were published online January 10 in Cell Reports Medicine.

 

How One Conversation With Friends Per Day Can Help Your Mental Health: A new study suggests that having one conversation with a friend per day can have a significant effect on a person’s mental health. The study included 900 participants from five university campuses before, during, and after the pandemic lockdowns. The participants were directed to engage in one of seven communication behaviors during a single day and then report back that night about their feelings of stress, connection, anxiety, well-being, loneliness, and the quality of their day. The seven behaviors included: Catching up; Meaningful talk; Joking around; Showing care; Listening; Valuing others and their opinions; Offering sincere compliments The study found that it did not matter which of the behaviors were practiced. It was the act of intentionally reaching out to a friend in general that had the impact.

 

CBD Doesn’t Mitigate Negative Effects of THC in Cannabis, Study Finds: THC and CBD in cannabis influence the body in different ways. Some research indicates that CBD can help cancel out some of THC’s adverse effects, such as anxiety and memory impairment.. However, a new studyTrusted Source conducted by a team at University College London (UCL) has indicated this might not be the case.

 

Massage therapy improves symptom management for youth receiving hematology and oncology care:A new study from University Hospitals (UH) Connor Whole Health found children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer or sickle cell disease (SCD) treated at a pediatric academic medical center reported clinically significant reductions in pain, stress, and anxiety in response to massage therapy. Furthermore, patients with SCD who received massage therapy reported significantly higher symptoms at baseline than patients with hematologic and/or oncologic conditions excluding SCD. The findings from this study were recently published in the journal, Pediatric Blood & Cancer.

 

FDA ACTION

• Approved Lamzede the first enzyme replacement therapy approved in the U.S. for the treatment of non-central nervous system manifestations of alpha-mannosidosis

• Authorized emergency use for the Cepheid Xpert Mpox test for use in a point-of-care setting

• Alerted consumers and health care practitioners not to purchase and immediately stop using EzriCare Artificial Tears or Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Tears due to potential bacterial contamination.

• Approves First Oral Treatment, Jesduvroq tablets, for Anemia Caused by Chronic Kidney Disease for Adults on Dialysis

 

 

PREVENTION

Exercise

Does Your Exercise Routine Fit Your Personality? Here’s How to Find Out: The level of satisfaction you get from a particular exercise can vary greatly depending on your personality. If a specific fitness routine doesn’t complement your dominant personality traits, you may be less motivated to stick with it.  The ‘Big Five’ inventory is a simple test that can help you identify where you fall on the spectrum of five major personality traits. This can help you determine the forms of exercise that may provide you with the biggest benefits. 

 

Golf as Exercise: Experts Say Older Adults Can Get Physical, Mental Health Benefits: Researchers say older adults can get physical as well as mental health benefits from golfing. Experts say a person who plays 18 holes of golf can end up walking more than 6 miles. They add that golf provides an opportunity to socialize as well as collect vitamin D from the sun. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine. 

 

Running Does Not Cause Lasting Cartilage Damage: Running does not appear to cause sustained wear and tear of healthy knee cartilage, with research suggesting that the small, short-term changes to cartilage after a run reverse within hours. A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the most recent issue of Osteoarthritis and Cartilage presents the findings involving 396 adults, which compared the "before" and "after" state of healthy knee cartilage in runners.

 

Exercise Halves T2D Risk in Adults With Obesity: A 12-month program of moderate to vigorous exercise reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by approximately 50% in adults with obesity over 10 years, according to a new analysis of a study. Research letter published in JAMA Internal Medicine,

 

Nine More Minutes a Day of Vigorous Exercise Tied to Better Cognition: Middle-aged adults who spend just 9 additional minutes a day participating in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) experience improved cognition in new findings that underscore the critical role brisk exercise, such as running and cycling, plays in brain health. The findings were published online January 23 in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

 

20 Minutes of Exercise Can Help You Avoid Hospitalization for Diabetes, Stroke, and Other Conditions:A new studyTrusted Source published in JAMA Network Open found that not only does physical activity decrease people’s risk of developing health problems but it prevents them from being hospitalized as well.  Researchers evaluated the health data of over 81,000 patients between the ages of 42 to 78.  Physical activity can boost immune function, improve insulin sensitivity, and benefit heart and lung health.

 

Parkinson's: Most forms of exercise equally helpful in managing symptoms: Researchers looked at 156 randomized controlled trials which compared the benefits of engaging in one type of physical exercise for adults with Parkinson’s disease to another type of exercise, a control group, or both. They observed that many types of exercise proved beneficial for people with Parkinson’s compared to no exercise.  Researchers found little evidence that certain types of exercises work better than others. Specific motor symptoms may be most effectively treated with programs designed specifically for Parkinson’s patients. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

 

 

Diet/Nutrition

Cardiovascular Disease: Eating 5 Eggs Per Week May Help Lower Your Risk: A study has found that people who ate five or more eggs weekly had improvements in some risk factors for cardiovascular disease. They had lower blood pressure and blood sugar; less risk for high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. However, dietitians say it’s too soon to conclude that eggs are good for the heart. They say moderate consumption is still the best. Nutrients 

 

Snacking on mixed tree nuts may impact cardiovascular risk factors and increase serotonin: In a paper published online in the journal, Nutrients, researchers found that consuming mixed tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts) had a positive effect on the metabolism of the essential amino acid, tryptophan, in overweight and obese individuals. Specifically, there was an increase in both cardioprotective tryptophan metabolites and in the neurotransmitter, serotonin. Nutrients 

 

Ultraprocessed Food and Increased Risk of Cancer: UK Study: Eating ultraprocessed food appears to be associated with an increased risk of cancer overall and with an increased risk of dying from cancer, particularly ovarian cancer, suggest researchers reporting an observational study from the United Kingdom. These associations persisted after adjusting for numerous socioeconomic and lifestyle factors, including smoking status, diet, physical activity level, and body mass index. The study, published online January 31 in eClinicalMedicine, provides "the most comprehensive assessment to date of the association between ultra-processed foods and the risk of developing cancers,"

 

Is Dark Chocolate Bad For Your Health? What We Know: According to new research from Consumer Reports, there are dark chocolate bars that contain high amounts of the heavy metals cadmium and lead, both of which can cause health issues. Experts say it’s okay to eat dark chocolate Day if it’s limited to a one-ounce serving. Choosing a brand with lower lead and cadmium is also recommended. Safer brands include Mast Organic dark chocolate, Taza chocolate, Ghiardelli and Valrhona. Another healthier chocolate alternative you can enjoy is vegan ‘milk’ chocolate.

 

Hypertension: 3 Cups of Coffee a Day May Lower Blood Pressure: A new study published in the journal Nutrients reports that drinking three or more cups of coffee daily was associated with lower peripheral and central blood pressure.

 

Mediterranean Diet, 3 Other Healthy Eating Plans, Can Help Lower Risk of Heart Disease, Cancer: New researchTrusted Source  published  in JAMA Internal Medicine reports that participants who followed at least one of four healthy eating patterns were less likely than others to die from heart disease, cancer, or respiratory disease. Data used was collected over 36 years from 75,230 women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study and 44,085 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Components of healthy eating include: High intake of a variety of vegetables and fruits daily;  Consumption of whole grains vs. refined grains; Less red meat; More plant-based lean proteins in addition to poultry and fish; and Limited intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and foods with added sugar.

 

Alternate-day fasting a good option for patients with fatty liver disease: Publishing their findings in Cell Metabolism, the researchers report that over a period of three months people who exercised and alternated feast and fast days — eating without restriction one day and eating 500 calories or less the next — saw increased insulin sensitivity and decreased liver fat, weight and ALT, or alanine transaminase enzymes, which are markers for liver disease.  “Effect of alternate day fasting combined with aerobic exercise on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomized controlled trial,”

 

Unexpected Link Between Light Drinking and Dementia Risk: Investigators assessed dementia risk using changes in alcohol consumption over a 2-year period in nearly four million people in Korea. After about 7 years, dementia was 21% less likely in mild drinkers and 17% less likely in moderate drinkers. Heavy drinking was linked to an 8% increased risk. published online February 6 in JAMA Network Open.

Caffeine Withdrawal: Drinking Decaf Can Help Reduce Painful Symptoms: According to the lead author of the study, Llewellyn Mills, PhD, a drug and alcohol researcher with the University of Sydney Medical School, drinking decaf coffee can temporarily reduce caffeine withdrawal symptoms. And this effect exists even if you are aware that you are drinking decaf.

 

Drinking Tea Can Keep Your Heart Healthy as You Age: A diet high in flavonoids, such as black tea, can help prevent abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) in women later in life. Elderly women who drank black tea on a regular basis or consumed a high level of flavonoids in their diet were found to be far less likely to develop extensive AAC. Study participants who had a higher intake of total flavonoids, flavan-3-ols, and flavonols were almost 40% less likely to have extensive AAC, while those who drank two to six cups of black tea per day had up to 42% less chance of experiencing extensive AAC. People who do not drink tea can still benefit by including foods rich in flavonoids in their diet, which protects against extensive calcification of the arteries. Flavonoids naturally in black tea, green tea, apples, nuts, citrus fruit, berries, red wine, dark chocolate, and others. Medscape 

 

Sleep

Poor Sleep During Teen Years May Raise Risk of Multiple Sclerosis: Failing to get adequate sleep as a teenager could raise your risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) as an adult, a study published suggests. The risk of MS was 40% higher among people who reported getting less than 7 hours of sleep between the ages of 15 and 19 compared to those who regularly got 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Study participants who reported poor sleep quality during the same age range had a 50% increased risk of developing MS.

 

Sleeping Pills and Dementia Risk: What We Know and Who is at Risk: A new study finds that sleeping medications may increase the risk of dementia for some people.  Researchers found that the link occurred for people who are white, but the same correlation was not seen for other races.  White individuals were almost twice as likely as Black individuals to take sleep medications. The study was published January 31 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

 

Study finds chronically disrupted sleep may increase the risk for heart disease: Sleep irregularity — chronically disrupted sleep and highly variable sleep durations night after night — may increase the risk for atherosclerosis, according to a study in the Journal of the American Heart Association, which followed 2,032 older and ethnically diverse participants from across the country. “These results suggest that maintaining regular or habitual sleep durations, or sleeping close to the same total amount of time each night, may play an important role in preventing cardiovascular disease,” 

 

Humans don't hibernate, but we still need more winter sleep: Scientists studying sleep difficulties have now published data in Frontiers in Neuroscience that shows that, even in an urban population experiencing disrupted sleep, humans experience longer REM sleep in winter than summer and less deep sleep in autumn. 

 

Researchers find a link between traffic noise and tinnitus:  If you live near a busy road, it may increase your stress levels and affect your sleep. When we are under stress and sleep poorly, we may be at a higher risk of developing tinnitus.  In a new study with data from 3.5 million Danes, researchers from the Department of Clinical Research and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Institute at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) have found that the more traffic noise Danish residents are exposed to in their homes, the more they are at risk of developing tinnitus. Environmental Health Perspectives 

 

Vitamins/Supplements

Type 2 Diabetes: Vitamin D May Slightly Lower Risk for People with Prediabetes: Researchers are reporting that vitamin D supplementation can slightly reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes for people who have prediabetes. The risk reduction, however, was lower than other prevention strategies. Experts caution that people should be careful about how much vitamin D supplementation they take. The scientists looked for studies that included adults who took 4,000 IU of vitamin D supplements with a three-year follow-up. study  Annals of Internal Medicine.

 

Vitamin D Supplementation Linked to Fewer Suicide Attempts: Oral vitamin D supplementation nearly halved the rates of suicide and intentional self-harm in a study of US veterans, with an even stronger effect among Black veterans. The retrospective cohort study also showed that higher daily vitamin D supplement dosages appeared to offer greater protection against suicide and self-harm risk than lower doses, that the effect was greater among those with baseline vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency, and that both vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol) supplements were effective.  published online February 1 in PLoS One.

 

Other

How Gaining Weight In Your Midsection After 45 Can Affect Your Future Health: In the study, published Jan. 23 in the journal BMJ Open, researchers from Norway found that people who carried excess weight in midlife — as measured by body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference — had a higher risk of being pre-frail or frail 21 years later.

This could potentially impact their quality of life as they age.

 

Having 3 Concussions Linked to Declining Brain Function Later in Life: A study  reports that people who experience three concussions – or just one moderate-to-severe concussion – have a higher risk of declining brain function, including memory loss, later in life. Attention span and the ability to complete tasks were particularly affected. Researchers from the University of Oxford and the University of Exeter used data from more than 15,000 participants of the online PROTECT study, which consists of people in the United Kingdom between 50 and 90 years of age. The risk of brain function decline rises with each concussion, which is why it’s important to remove a person from an activity after they have had a concussion.

 

Poor Oral Health May Lead to a Decline in Brain Health: New research indicates that markers of bad oral health — including gum disease, missing teeth, and plaque buildup — are associated with an increased risk of stroke.The preliminary researchTrusted Source, which hasn’t been published yet in a peer-reviewed journal, is being presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke ConferenceTrusted Source in Dallas. These findings are the latest confirmation that poor oral health can cause health issues elsewhere in the body. Experts say it’s important to make regular visits to the dentist as well as practice good oral hygiene at home.

 

Type 2 Diabetes: Having a Partner May Help Lower Your Risk: In a study published in the journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, researchers say people who live with a spouse or significant other are more likely to be healthy in the long run. Living with a significant other can help lower blood sugar levels and, in turn, reduce a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes. They say this lower risk is present even if the relationship with a partner is strained. Experts say one of the factors is that a significant order can help a person stay motivated and disciplined in their daily lifestyle.

 

Argue a Lot with Your Partner? Here’s How That Affects Your Health: A new study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology reports that the ways that couples communicate with each other — for example, if marital partners tend to give each other the cold shoulder or avoid talking about their problems — can lead to negative emotions and stressful feelings which then impact immune system function. Dysfunctional communication patterns also foster ongoing bad feelings about the relationship itself as well as create chronic inflammation, according to the authors. In fact, the study participants showed up to the lab with elevated inflammation markers already in their blood.

 

TREATMENT

How Bariatric Surgery Lowers the Risk of Death and Improves Quality of Life: Bariatric surgery is used by many people to help facilitate weight loss and can also lower the death rate from most causes, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Among other conditions, the death rate from diabetes decreased by 72% with bariatric surgery, according to a retrospective studyTrusted Source published in the journal Obesity.

 

Drug-Resistant Gonorrhea: Experts Concerned After Multiple Cases Identified: There’s a new strain of gonorrhea circulating in the United States that’s more resistant to antibiotics.  Massachusetts’ Department of Public Health (DPH) announced last week that two residents were recently diagnosed with a novel strain of gonorrhea that’s less responsive to the medications commonly used to treat the disease.  A case involving a similar strain was also recently detected in Nevada. According to the DPH, this is the first time that a gonorrhea strain has appeared resistant to five classes of antibiotics in the United States. Healthline 

 

Common Antidepressants Can Cause Emotional Blunting: Researchers report common antidepressants may cause a condition known as emotional blunting, which is characterized by a lack of feeling of both happiness and sadness. The condition can make it difficult for people to process feedback to complete tasks and affect daily life including sexual activity.   new studyTrusted Source Neuropsychopharmacology.

 

Biosimilar Drugs to Humira Are Arriving: Why Prices Won't Be Significantly Lower: The patent has finally expired for Humira, the biologic drug used to treat arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and other conditions. The first biosimilar competitor, Amjevita, is already on the market with seven more expected by the end of 2023. However, experts don’t expect the biosimilar drugs to be much cheaper than Humira due to legal settlements and government regulation. Healthline 

 

How Certain Treatments for High Blood Pressure Can Help Improve Brain Health: Intensive high blood pressure treatment was more effective in improving or reversing the damage in the perivascular regions of the brain than more moderate treatment, according to a studyTrusted Source being presented at the American Stroke Conference 2023Trusted Source .

 

Low Sex Drive: Kisspeptin Hormone Injection May Help Both Men and Women: Two studies, both published in the journal JAMA Network Open, said treating people with the naturally occurring hormone kisspeptin was shown by MRI scans to enhance responses to sexual stimuli and boost attraction brain pathways in both male and female study subjects. OneTrusted Source involved 32 men previously diagnosed with HSDD while the otherTrusted Source involved 32 pre-menopausal women with HSDD.

 

Herbal Combination Tames Active Ulcerative Colitis: Study: A combination of two over-the-counter herbal extracts — curcumin and qing dai — induced remissions in a significant proportion of patients with active ulcerative colitis (UC) in a small placebo-controlled trial. Among 42 patients randomized on a 2:1 basis to receive either an enteric-coated pill containing 3 g of curcumin and qing-dai (CurQD) or placebo for 8 weeks, 43% of those assigned to receive the combination met the co-primary endpoint of a significant reduction in disease activity and objective evidence of response, compared with 8% of those assigned to placebo. MDedge.com,

 

Neoadjuvant nivolumab shows long-term benefit in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: Patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were treated with neoadjuvant nivolumab had improved five-year recurrence-free and overall survival rates compared with historical outcomes. Clinical Cancer Research,

 

New guideline provides treatment recommendations for people who act out their dreams while asleep:A new clinical practice guideline developed by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine provides recommendations for the management of REM sleep behavior disorder in adults.  

 

Immunotherapy after surgery provides significant, durable benefit for high-risk bladder patients: Immunotherapy after surgery increased bladder cancer patients’ chance of staying cancer-free compared to patients who received a placebo, according to clinical trial results shared in a late-breaking oral presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2023 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in February. 

 

Diabetes Drug Tied to Lower Dementia Risk: Treatment with the thiazolidinedione pioglitazone may offer the greatest protection against dementia for older adults with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes  who have a history of stroke or ischemic heart disease, new research suggests. Overall, in a large cohort study from Korea, patients who took pioglitazone were 16% less likely to develop dementia over an average of 10 years than peers who did not take the drug. However, the dementia risk reduction was 54% among those with ischemic heart disease and 43% among those with a history of stroke. published online February 15 in Neurology.

 

OTHER

VEXAS Syndrome: What to Know About This Newly Identified Autoimmune Disease: VEXAS syndrome, an autoimmune disease involving blood cells, affects more men than women and is more common than previously thought, according to researchTrusted Source published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). VEXAS, which stands for vacuoles in blood cells, the E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, and somatic, is an autoimmune condition that affects one in 4,269 men and one in 26,238 women over the age of 50 in the United States. VEXAS syndrome is usually diagnosed in people with other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and blood cancers.

 

Tuning into brainwave rhythms speeds up learning in adults, study finds: Scientists have shown for the first time that briefly tuning into a person’s individual brainwave cycle before they perform a learning task dramatically boosts the speed at which cognitive skills improve. Participants who received a simple 1.5-second visual cue at their personal brainwave frequency were at least three times faster when it came to improving at a cognitive task. When participants were tested again the next day, those who had improved faster were still just as good – the learning stuck. Priming brains for optimal rhythms could help us remain quick learners throughout life, help people with learning difficulties, and give professionals an edge in training simulations, according to neuroscientists. Findings were, published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, 

 

Fewer known risk factors, but heightened risk of cardiovascular disease in people with celiac disease:People with coeliac disease might have fewer known risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but still have a heightened risk of developing it, finds a study led by researchers from Oxford Population Health, published online in the journal BMJ Medicine. 

 

Hand hygiene is focus of updated advice to prevent healthcare-associated infections: Only 7% of healthcare personnel fully clean their hands. Five medical organizations are recommending updated best practices for hand hygiene to protect patients and staff in healthcare settings. The recommendations emphasize the importance of healthy skin and nails and easy access to alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections through Hand Hygiene: 2022 Update, one in a series of expert guidance documents known collectively as the Compendium, was published today in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. 

 

Despite High Spending, US Ranks Last in Health Outcomes: Study: The U.S. spends dramatically more on health care than other high-income nations but has the worst health outcomes on nearly every metric, a new report shows. Despite the high health care spending rate, affordability of health care was the top reason Americans gave for skipping or delaying care. Published by The Commonwealth Fund, the report examines health outcomes in the U.S., compared to other high-income countries in the world such as Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. The U.S. was the only country in the study that does not guarantee health coverage.